The invention relates to a broadcast receiver, comprising a control circuit for
delivering encoded messages, derived from a broadcast signal, to at least one storage device,
receiving control data, derived from the encoded messages, from at least one storage device, and
forming the messages from the control data in a form suitable for a display device and/or a speech synthesizer circuit.
A broadcast receiver of this kind is known from the magazine Funkschau 8/92 I Spezial, pp. 22 to 26. Audio signals derived from the broadcast signal received in this broadcast receiver are processed in an audio circuit. Furthermore, RDS and TMC data is derived from the broadcast signal. RDS stands for Radio Data System and TMC for Traffic Message Channel. TMC is a functional extension of RDS. RDS-TMC data is transmitted as digital encoded data with the broadcast signal. TMC enables the listener, for example to fetch traffic messages stored in the broadcast receiver as often as desired before or after the start of driving, to listen to traffic messages selectively in conformity with the relevant route, and to have traffic messages spoken in the listener's native language, regardless of the relevant national language. Hereinafter the RDS-TMC data will also be referred to in general as encoded messages. It is also feasible to transmit not only encoded traffic messages but also weather reports and other messages by way of RDS-TMC data or similar encoded data. The encoded messages received are applied to a storage device which applies control data to a control circuit in response thereto. A storage device comprises a data file for forming traffic messages and may be, for example a semiconductor memory connected to the control circuit, a semiconductor memory on a chip card, a CD-ROM etc. From the cited document it is known that the control data constitutes designations in an orthographic notation of a language which are to be output as speech. Orthographic is to be understood to mean herein the correct spelling of designations of a language. In order to enable the designations to be output as speech, the control circuit can access, for example a stored digitally encoded speech signal file.
It is an object of the invention to provide a broadcast receiver which composes the control data required for a spoken or displayed message in a simple manner.
This object is achieved by a broadcast receiver of the kind set forth in that (there is provided at least one storage device for the storage of given control data under a respective escape code, that the control data stored under an encoded message or an escape code in at least one storage device contains at least one spelling of a first language and given spellings of predetermined further languages if they deviate from the first language, and that the control circuit is arranged
to apply, after reception of control data containing at least one escape code, at least one escape code to a storage device,
to receive the control data stored under the escape code, and
to select the required spelling from the control data of the escape code for supply to the display device and/or the speech synthesizer circuit.
In accordance with the invention control data associated with an escape code is stored in one or more storage devices. Control data associated with such an escape code contains frequently used designations, for example "Koln" (Cologne) "Anschlustelle" (junction) etc. If the control circuit receives control data from the storage device which corresponds to an encoded message and contains at least one escape code, the corresponding message (for example, a traffic message) for a speech synthesizer circuit and/or a display device can be formed only after the control data stored under an escape code has been applied to the control circuit. Because such escape codes require less storage space than the control data, the data file is thus reduced. This is advantageous notably if the broadcast receiver is used for traffic information purposes and the data of a large traffic region (for example, Germany) is stored in a storage device. A further advantage of the invention consists in that suitable selection of control data filed under an escape code enables minimization of errors which could occur during the building up of the data file and would become visible or audible via the display device and/or the speech synthesizer circuit. A suitable selection of control data filed under an escape code is to be understood to mean herein a selection of word sequences, words and word parts (designations) from a linguistic point of view.
The control data contains at least one spelling of a first language and given spellings of further languages if they deviate from the spelling of the first language. Such a spelling may be, for example an orthographic notation (for example, "Rothenbach an der Pegnitz"), a phonetic notation or a text which can be displayed on a display device (for example, Rothenb./Peg.) for a plurality of languages. In order to keep the data file small, the spellings of a first language are complete and spellings of the further languages are contained in the control data only if they deviate from the spelling of the first language. For example, if the first language is the German language and the further languages are English, French and Dutch, for example the orthographic entries for the location "Koln" are "Koln" for the first language (German), "Cologne", for the second language (English), "Cologne" for the third language (French), and "Keulen" for the fourth language (Dutch). For the location "Lauf" there is an orthographic entry for the first language (German) because there is no deviating orthographic notation for this location in the English, the French or the Dutch language.
The composition of, for example a traffic message is performed by the control circuit. This circuit extracts each time the control data under the corresponding encoded message from at least one storage device. If the control data contains an escape code, subsequently the control data stored under this escape code is derived from a storage device. The control circuit selects the required spelling from the control data. For example, if a message is to be output in English via the speech synthesizer circuit, first the phonetic notation in English is derived from the control data and subsequently the message is composed by combination with the other phonetic entries derived from the encoded message. For example, the control data stored under the encoded message "3783" is to be output via the speech synthesizer circuit. Under the encoded message "3783" there is stored "0019 2429-Dellbruck" (Anschlulstelle (junction) "Kon-Muhlheim"). The escape code "0019" stands for "Anschlustelle" (junction) and the escape code "2429" means "Koln" in the German orthographic notation. Under the escape codes, for example the English orthographic notations "junction, Cologne", but also those in French and in Dutch may be stored. If output is to be in English, first the control data of the escape code "0019" is applied to the control circuit which selects the English orthographic notation (junction) therefrom. Subsequently, this is also performed for the English orthographic notation (Cologne) under the escape code "2429". The complete expression can then be composed (junction Cologne-Muhlheim). This procedure ensures that the further processing of the partly bulky control data with entries in different languages will not be continued until the completion of the composition of the message. The processing is thus substantially simplified since if the speech selection were made later, additional steps would have to be considered, for example the introduction of parentheses, so as to ensure that the composed parts remain recognizable in an environment with a plurality of insertions. Exclusively the appropriate spelling is taken into account in order to compose the message so that a message is formed in a simple and economical way.
It may occur that for the formation of the message for the display device and/or the speech synthesizer circuit the control circuit need access at least one storage device several times in order to read control. data filed under escape codes. This can be explained on the basis of two examples. For the designation "Anschlustelle Koln-Muhlheim" (junction Cologne-Muhlheim) "12365-Muhlheim" or "78654 43263-Muhlheim" could be stored as control data in a storage device. In the first case the control circuit reads, for example the control data "32987 Koln" for the escape code "12365". Subsequently, the control data (in this case: "Anschlustelle") must still be read for the escape code "32987" in order to compose the designation. In the second case the control circuit extracts the designations "Anschlustelle" and "Koln" from at least one storage device under the escape codes "78654" and "42263".
Thus, the control circuit is arranged to select, after having received the control data stored under an escape code
a spelling of the first language if this spelling is to be applied to the display device and/or the speech synthesizer circuit or if no spelling of a further language is stored under the escape code, or PA1 a spelling of a further language if this spelling is to be applied to the display device and/or the speech synthesizer circuit and is stored under the escape code.
In order to enable a further reduction of the data file, in the presence of a spelling of a first language containing at least one escape code, at least one associated spelling of a further language contains a dummy corresponding to the escape code. The control circuit is arranged to receive at least one spelling of a first language with at least one escape code and at least one associated spelling of a further language with at least one dummy, and to associate with the dummy a spelling of the first language, stored under the escape code, and/or at least one spelling of a further language, stored under the escape code. The further data reduction is achieved by means of dummies corresponding to an escape code. If an escape code has been inserted in a spelling of the first language, the corresponding positions in all further spellings contain a dummy. Upon composition of a message the corresponding escape code in the spelling of the first language is determined if a dummy has been inserted in a spelling of a further language, and subsequently the spelling of the further language entered under said escape code is selected.
In a further version of the invention, the control data stored under a respective encoded message or an escape code in at least one storage device contains the extractable orthographic and/or phonetic notation of at least one first language and the extractable orthographic and/or phonetic notation of at least one further language only if the orthographic and/or phonetic notation of the further language deviate from the first language.
At least one storage device contains lists which are associated with storage sections and contain specific control data associated with a respective encoded message, and also an escape list with the escape codes and the respective associated control data. Such lists may be a location list, an area location list, a segment location list, a standard phrase list, etc. The location list contains location designations (for example, towns) whereas the area location list contains traffic areas, (for example, the Ruhr area), administrative areas (for example, Mittelfranken) or tourist areas (for example, Teutoburger Wald); the segment location list contains road segments and the standard phrase list contains parts of a traffic message (for example, 10 km traffic jam). The location, area location and segment location lists are region-specific lists, whereas the standard phrase list is an event-specific list.
The control circuit is arranged to supply region-specific control data from a first storage device and event-specific control data from a second storage device. The first storage device may then contain an escape list with region-specific control data and the second storage device a list with event-specific control data.
The first storage device could form part of a chip card for use in a card reader. The configuration of such chip cards and their operation are described, for example in the documents U.S. Pat. No. 5,001,753, U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,499, U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,154 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,521. The advantage of such chip cards consists in that in a broadcast receiver they serve to decode traffic messages for a given region, so that they can be readily exchanged when the location or the region changes.
The invention also relates to a module for the processing of encoded messages derived from a broadcast signal, comprising a control circuit which is arranged to
deliver encoded messages, derived from the broadcast signal, to at least one storage device,
receive control data, derived from the encoded messages, from at least one storage device, and
form the messages from the control data in a form suitable for a display device and/or a speech synthesizer circuit.
At least one storage device is provided for the storage of given control data under a respective escape code. The control data stored under an encoded message or an escape code in at least one storage device contains at least one spelling of a first language and given spellings of predetermined further languages if they deviate from the first language. After reception of control data containing at least one escape code, the control circuit is arranged to apply at least one escape code to a storage device, to receive the control data stored under the escape code, and to select the required spelling from the control data of the escape code for delivery to the display device and/or the speech synthesizer circuit.